Arguably the most challenging aspect of the shoot was the batallion of paparrazi that shadowed our every shot, the sound of their clicking shutters roaring, their long lenses aimed at our backs all day long. Initial frustration eventually gave way to a resigned indifference, as we accepted our fate as the subjects/casualties of celebrity culture.

As intrusive as it felt, the papparazzi were (for the most part) quite respectful, and kept to an appropriate distance. (For the most part). In the end, we had learned many of their names, and become friendly with a few. James Macari, who displayed nothing but calm, measured composure throughout the onslaught, even organized a few portraits with the gang of Paparrazzi (! see below) In the end, they were an inextricable part of the shoot, and something to joke about if nothing else.

As usual, shooting in DUMBO, had its benefits and challenges. Crowds were a bit of an issue, as was the constant noise from the bridge and local construction- of which there is a LOT. That said, there is always something indelible about that neighborhood that always seems to come through in the pictures. Special thanks to the Dumbo Improvement District, One Girl Cookies, Superfine, Hillside, and Jaques Torres for all of their local support! As always, we could not do what we do without the help of local businesses, and we appreciate it!

On an environmental note, we were able to recycle and compost quite a bit from this 3 day shoot, and we kept our vehicle usage to a real minimum. We’re still waiting on the carbon output numbers, we’ll have an update on that soon. Looking forward to seeing the final images from this one, we’ll update those soon too. In the meantime, enjoy the BTS pics below. Thanks VS!

We had a great time working with Solange Knowles and Brooklyn Magazine for their summer cover story in May. Photographer iO Tillet Wright worked with some challenging lighting conditions to get some great portraits of Solange and her talented/beautiful friends. We started the day at Colony Studios, a great new studio space at the Green Building- which is kind of like a Brooklyn version of the Starrett Lehigh Building in Manhattan. From there, we moved to Ft Greene, where we based the talent and crew atMadiba, a phenomenal South African restaurant. It was a perfect place to shoot and eat, and a a Ft Greene sunset provided the perfect way to end the day. Solange and her friends were a pleasure to work and hang with. Everyone worked really hard on this one- and had lots of fun too. You can check out the interview and article here. Scroll down for BTS shots from the day and the shoot credits as well. Thanks everyone!

Our secret editorial is finally revealed! We produced this shoot for Elle Magazine on a beautiful October day, near Rockaway Beach. Photographer Benny Horne and stylist Gracie Cobb used the backdrop of the Rockaways to create a glamorous take on the sleepy suburbs. The pictures turned out great, and we were proud to be a part of this one.

We were on location just 2 weeks before Hurricane Sandy bore down on the very same Rockaway neighborhood, making the idyllic suburban scenes all the more poignant. In response, Elle Magazine was kind enough to post a Sandy Relief guide on their website! The residents of the Rockaways were so welcoming and friendly to our crew- our hearts are still with them as they continue to recover from the disaster. Please click here to see more ways to continue to help the Rockaways and other Sandy victims.

On an environmental note, we were proud to recycle and compost everything we could on this one, and we were able to bring the shoot carbon neutral as well. Thanks Elle!

The secret is out- the Brooklyn Magazine Winter Issue cover star is… Joe Johnson of the Brooklyn Nets! We had a fantastic time producing this shoot for Brooklyn Magazine, and the pictures look great. Billy Kidd shot the story at Root Brooklyn, and worked with stylist Jessie Cohan at Art Department to create some amazing images. If you don’t know much about Joe Johnson, it’s because he’s new to town. Traded from the Atlanta Hawks, (for 5 players and a 1st round draft pick!) Joe came to NYC just last summer. An NBA All-Star and USA Olympic Team Member, Joe has already established himself as a key to the Net’s promising inaugural season. For a much more in-depth glimpse of the man himself, pick up a copy at the newsstand, or visit www.bkmag.com. In the meantime, enjoy some images from the shoot!

In the days following Hurricane Sandy’s devastating landfall in NYC, County Fair teamed up with Erstwhile Jewelry and DS and Durga perfumers to raise funds and deliver over $20,000 of urgently needed supplies to victims of Hurricane Sandy in the Rockaways. Our initiative, (an informal collection of funds through Fundrazr.com and purchasing and delivering of supplies) was a success, and we wanted to share some of our experiences here.

In the early stages of the devastating storm surge and fires in the Rockaways, organized relief was basically nonexistent. We realized this on our first trip with a car full of diapers, food, water, cleaning supplies, and other items we had heard were in need. When we arrived in the Rockaways, we were surprised to find we were among the first to get there, and that there were no designated places to drop off such supplies. We went to the FEMA trailers and asked, but they just looked at us confusedly and said they “had no idea”. We drove around some more and found that Rockaway Taco had set up a mini-distribution center- they were trying their best to organize and distribute goods at the same time, as a bustling line formed on the muddy sidewalk. As we were unloading our car, people just walked up to us and asked for items they needed, so we handed them out as needed, then left the remainder at Rockaway Taco for distribution.

As we drove away, we were struck by the lack of organized support out there, and the clear need for it. We saw that our donations, while well-intended, required much sorting and more manpower to distribute safely and evenly to the population. It seemed certain items were in high demand- flashlights, garbage bags, hand warmers, bleach- while other items (old clothing, paper plates, canned food) were for the most part being left in piles on the streets.

Clearly there was a disconnect between the kind donations of those far away and the needs of the people on the ground. So we decided to offer our friends, family, and colleagues the chance to contribute in a very direct way.

We set up an event in Fundrazr.com, posted it on Facebook, and sent emails to everyone we knew. We rented a 15 passenger production van. We cleared our calendars for the next 3 days, and focused on making as many trips to the Rockaways as we could in that time. We collected funds from our contributors and used them to purchase the most needed prioritized supplies in bulk, then deliver them to the Rockaways. In the end, we raised over $20,000, and were able to make 7 trips to the Rockaways over 3 days to deliver the following items to the most organized donation centers on the ground:

6 5500W generators

8 3500 W generators

16 portable space heaters

640 pairs of handwarmers

1200 Contractor Bags

16 gallons of bleach

2124 AA batteries

522 led flashlights

7560 Diapers

9000 Baby Wipes

500 Adult Diapers

900 Tampons

12 Cases baby formula

162 pair work gloves

2640 Band Aids

50 tubes neosporin

50,000 ibuprofen pills

50,0000 Aceitominaphen pills

12 bottles hydrogen peroxide

1000 Clif Bars

250 bags nuts

Lots of other assorted Food

Our donations were met with astonished gratitude by Rockaway residents- apparently large deliveries of these needed items in bulk (especially the flashlights, batteries, and generators, gloves, etc.) were pretty rare. We wanted to share this experience, because while our contribution was only a drop in the bucket, we found it to be an incredibly efficient way to help, and we feel we really maximized our limited time by doing it this way.

Of course the Rockaways and other parts of NY and NJ are still in lots of need. While our initiative is finished for now, there are lots of other ways to contribute. The Occupy Sandy Relief webpage is the best place to start- they are on the ground every day assisting with all kinds of relief/recovery efforts, and have a way for you to donate everything from your time, to your money, and to specifically needed items. Lots of ways to lend a hand.

Last week, we had the honor of producing the cover story for the upcoming issue of Brooklyn Magazine- the premier journal of all things Brooklyn! Photographer Billy Kidd led an inspired team to create some incredible images of a Brooklyn legend-to-be.

We were extremely lucky to have our shoot at Root Brooklyn Studios, where the staff made every effort to accommodate our on-set needs and limited budget. Special thanks to Kip, Aldana, Iliana, Mel, and everyone at the studio for their support before, during, and after our shoot. We cannot recommend Root Brooklyn enough, we hope to be back there soon!

SO- who’s going to be on the upcoming cover of Brooklyn Magazine anyway? You’ll have to wait until December 1, when the issue hits the stands. We can’t give many hints, but we will say that it is going to be very Brooklyn, and very Big. Stay tuned.

Last Monday we were also thrilled to be producing an excellent fashion editorial on location! Unfortunately we can’t yet say which magazine, but we can say that it was a beautiful autumn day, and we were happy to be outside in the sun all day. We can also say that our new recycling/compost setup was a hit, and that we composted and recycled over 20 pounds of waste. We’re waiting on all the carbon data from the shoot, but expecting to offset 100% of this shoot’s carbon footprint, which is great. We can’t show any pics until the issue is released, but we can add that we had a great time, and the pictures looked incredible. More details to come when the issue is released in January!